Locking device for antifriction bearing ring

ABSTRACT

A CYLINDRICAL EXTENSION IS PROVIDED AT ONE OR EACH END OF THE LOAD-CARRYING RACEWAY PORTION OF THE INNER RACE RING OF AN ANTIFRICTION BEARING WHOSE INNER PERIPHERAL SURFACE HAS A SLIP FIT ON A SHAFT, SAID EXTENSION HAS THREE SLOTS SPACED EQUIDISTANTLY CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF THE EXTENSION AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY INWARDLY FROM THE END OF THE EXTENSION TO AN AREA SHORT OF THE RACEWAY AND BEYOND AN EXTERNAL SHOULDER AGAINST WHICH IS ADAPTED TO ABUT A RIGID STEEL RING HAVING A SLIDE FIT ON SAID EXTENSION AND HAVING A SETSCREW THREADED THEREIN TO ENGAGE SAID EXTENSION AT A POINT DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE ONE OF SAID SLOTS AND CENTRALLY BETWEEN THE OTHER TWO SLOTS.

United States Patent Primary Examiner-Fred C. Mattern Jr. AssistantExaminer-Frank Susko Artorney- Harry B. Rook ABSTRACT: A cylindricalextension is provided at one or each end of the load-carrying racewayportion of the inner race ring of an antifriction bearing whose innerperipheral surface has a slip fit on a shaft; said extension has threeslots spaced equidistantly circumferentially of the extension andextending longitudinally inwardly from the end of the extension to anarea short of the raceway and beyond an external shoulder against whichis adapted to abut a rigid steel ring having a slide fit on saidextension and having a setscrew threaded therein to engage saidextension at a point diametrically opposite one of said slots andcentrally between the other two slots.

PATENTED JUN28 I97! SHEET 1 0F 2 INVENTOR Thomas'fi! BY [famePATENTEUJUN28197| 8588.208

SHEET 2 OF 2 82 22 .T i.i'i

! l 16 i 1 I3 INVENTOR Thomas E. Home LOCKING DEVICE FOR ANTIFRICTIONBEARING RING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Thisinvention relates to means for securing or locking on a shaft the innerrace ring of an antifriction bearing.

2. The Prior Art The prior art includes an inner race ring having acylindrical extension provided with two or four or more slots, at one orboth ends of its raceway portion, and means including a collar fittedover the slotted extension for the purpose of forcing said extensioninto firm clamping engagement with the shaft.

However, the prior art devices leave much to be desired, either becauseof their failure to achieve the desired result in a satisfactory manner,or because they cannot be relied on to clamp the race ring tightlyenough on the shaft, or because they produce burrs or score marks on theshaft which interfere with the removal of the bearing from the shaft andthe fitting of another bearing on the shaft, or because the devices aretoo complicated and expensive.

SUMMARY The primary object of the present invention is to provide anovel and improved simple and inexpensive means for locking a race ringon a shaft, which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art devices,and ensures the tight clamping the race ring on the shaft in asatisfactory manner, and does not cause burrs or score marks on theshaft.

An important feature of the invention is the formation in the coaxialcylindrical extension of the inner race ring, of three slotsequidistantly spaced circumferentially of the extension and extendinglongitudinally inwardly to a zone short of the raceway portion, andfitting on said extension a rigid continuous ring which has a setscrewthreaded therein to engage said extension at a point diametricallyopposite one slot and between the other two slots, whereby tightening ofthe screw will cause the portions between the slots to be drawn intofirm concentric clamping engagement with the shaft.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding ofthe invention, reference may be had to the following description inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a composite front elevation the central longitudinal sectionalview ofa ball bearing, a shaft and a coupling or a locking meansembodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation thereof taken from a plane of the line 2-2 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. I of a roller bearing having couplingor locking means at both ends of the inner race ring, the bearing beingschematically illustrated as mounted for self-alignment in a housing;

FIG. 4 is a composite side elevation and sectional longitudinal view ofthe inner race ring shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2the invention has been shown as embodied in a ball bearing which has aninner race member or ring A and an outer race ring B. The internalperiphery 1 of the inner race ring is initially cylindrical and of adiameter throughout its length slightly greater than the diameter of theshaft C to be connected to the bearing so that the inner race ring has aslip fit on fit on the shaft. The intermediate or body portion of theinner race has a raceway 2 for a complement of balls that also roll inthe raceway 4 of the outer race ring. Preferably the zone of the innerrace ring that constitutes the raceway is hardened in any suitablemanner.

In accordance with the invention, one end of the race ring has anextension 5 formed with a cylindrical smooth exterior surface 6 and acircumferential shoulder 7 disposed between the raceway portion and theend of the extension. As above the indicated inner peripheral surface ofthe race ring including the extension is cylindrical and of a diameterto slip fit on the shaft; for example, there may be a clearance of0.002- -0.003 of an inch between the inner periphery of the race ringand the outer peripheral surface of the shaft.

The extension had three slots 8 spaced apart equidistantlycircumferentially of the extension and extending longitudinally inwardlyto a point beyond the shoulder 7 and short of the raceway portion. Thelength of the slots will vary depending upon the size of the race ring;for example, for a race ring having an internal diameter of the order of2.5 inches the slots should be of the order of 0.875 of an inch. Thethickness of the extension will also vary with the size of the racering; for example, for a 2.5-inch inner diameter, the thickness of theextension would be of the order of 0.25 of an inch. Preferably at thebase of the shoulder 7 the extension has a circumferential groove 9.With this construction it will be seen that the portions 10 of theextension between the slots are arcuate in cross section and concentricwith the shaft, are displaceable inwardly of the extension and have someinherent resiliency normally biasing them outwardly.

In accordance with the invention a continuous rigid locking collar D hasan interior peripheral surface of a diameter to slide fit on saidextension; for example, the interior peripheral surface of the lockingcollar has a diameter a few thousands of an inch greater than the normalouter diameter of the extension. Preferably, the collar has a widthapproximately the same as the length of the extension between theshoulder 7 and the outer end of the extension so that the collar abutsthe shoulder when it is slid onto the extension. The collar has threadedtherein a setscrew II, and the collar is applied to the extension sothat the setscrew engages the extension at a point approximatelyopposite one of the slots 8 and approximately centrally between theother two slots, as best shown in FIG. 2. When it is desired to lock therace ring on the shaft the setscrew is tightened and the inwardlydisplaceable portions 10 of the extension are drawn into firm concentricclamping engagement with the shaft. In other words, the tightening ofthe screw causes the displaceable portion 10 that is engaged by thescrew to be pressed tightly and concentrically around the shaft, and atthe same time the other two portions 10 are drawn tightly andconcentrically into contact with the shaft. A large area ofsubstantially uniform contact between the extension and the shaftprovides an exceptionally firm mounting of the bearing on the shaft withno scoring or burring of the shaft or distortion of the extension.

Tests have shown that when the bearings locked on the shaft, it willresist a thrust load (for example, the pressure necessary to make thebearing slip longitudinally along the shaft) many times greater than canbe held by the prior art bearing locking devices wherein the ringextension has two diametrically opposite slots and a collar with asetscrew thereon; and the locking device embodying the invention can beused with no danger of injury to the bearing or to the shaft.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a locking extension ateach and of the inner race ring of any of various types of antifrictionbearings mounted in different types of housings. FIGS. 3 and 4illustrate a roller bearing wherein the inner race ring E has a slip fiton the shaft F and is provided with extensions 12 and 13, one at eachend thereof. Each extension has a smooth cylindrical exterior peripheralsurface, and the respective rigid continuous locking rings 14 and 15have a slide fit on the extensions in the same manner in which thelocking collar D is fitted on the extension 5. Each extension has threeequidistantly circumferentially spaced slots extending longitudinallyfrom the outer ends of the extensions inwardly beyond circumferentialshoulder 17 and short of the raceway 18 with which cooperate acomplement of rollers 19 that also roll in the raceway 20 of the outerring G which is shown of the self-aligning type having a segmentallyspherical outer periphery 21 which cooperates with a correspondinglyshaped inner periphery of a bearing housing H.

With this construction it is also possible to assemble the bearing withtwo separate shaft sections one inserted into each end of the race ring,in which case the extensions and locking collars would both clamp thebearing on the shaft and couple the shaft sections together.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the slots in one extension are arrangedin staggered relation to the slots in the other extension, so that anystrains incident to pressing of the displaceable portions 22 between theslots against the shaft will be more evenly distributed through the racering. Each locking collar 14 and 15 has a setscrew 23 threaded thereincorresponding to and for the same purpose as the setscrew ill, and agroove is provided at the base of each shoulder 17.

It is desirable to provide means for quickly orienting the setscrewswith respect to the displaceable portions 22, and one possible meanscomprises a dimplelike depression 24 in the outer surface of one of theportions 22 approximately diametrically opposite one of the slots, saiddepression being ofa size and shape to serve as a bearing surface forthe end of the screw. A score mark or other indicium instead of or inaddition to the depression may be applied to the end surface of theextension midway between two of the slots so that the operator may lineup the screw with the indicium.

I claim:

1. In an antifriction bearing, a race ring having a coaxial extension onat least one side of a raceway portion which has a cylindrical smoothexterior surface and circumferential shoulder between said racewayportion and the end of said extension, said race ring and extensionhaving a cylindrical inner surface of a diameter to slip fit on a shaft,said extension having three slots spaced apart approximatelyequidistantly circumferentially of the extension and extendinglongitudinally inwardly to a point beyond said shoulder and short ofsaid raceway portion, providing portions between said slots that aredisplaceable inwardly of said extension, and a continuous rigid lockingcollar having an inner cylindrical peripheral surface of a diameter to aslide fit on said extension and having a setscrew threaded therein toengage said extension at a point diametrically opposite one of saidslots and between the other two slots, whereby tightening of screw willcause said inwardly displaceable portions of said extension between saidslots to be drawn into firm concentric clamping engagement with theshaft.

2. In an antifriction bearing as set forth in claim 1, said collarhaving a width approximately equal to the length of the portion of saidextension between said shoulder and outer end of the extension.

3. In an antifriction bearing as set forth in claim 1, said extensionhaving an outer circumferential groove at the base of said shoulder.

4. In an antifriction bearing as set forth in claim 2, the outer surfaceof at least one of said displaceable portions of the extension having adimplelike recessed seat for the end of said screw.

5. In an antifriction bearing as set forth in claim l, the outer surfaceof at least one of said displaceable portions of the extension having adimplelike recessed seat for the end of said setscrew.

